Luke 19:20-26 (NIV) “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
“’Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”
Two of the master’s servants had done well, each according to his or her own ability, and each had been rewarded proportionally. But the third servant was another case entirely.
This man had received a share of the master’s riches, just as the others had, one mina. But, unlike the others, he had disobeyed the master’s instructions to “Put this money to work until I come back.” (Verse 13b.) He had not invested the money, but had set it aside, nicely covered in a cloth.
The excuse the servant used was that he was afraid to invest or use the money, because the master was, in his view, a harsh and unreasonable man who would punish him severely if he lost the money. Thus his excuse included an unfavorable judgment of the character of the master who owned him.
The master, understandably, was unimpressed by this excuse. Even if it was true (and it seemed more like an excuse than a legitimate reason), the servant could have at least put the money on deposit so that it would accrue a small amount of interest at no risk of loss. But this unworthy servant didn’t even care enough about his master’s interests to do that small thing.
The master’s judgment was swift and harsh: the servant’s share of the treasure was to be taken from him and given to the one who had gained the most for the master, making that servant still richer and more favored by the master. This, of course, left the unworthy servant with nothing.
Today there are many who belong to Jesus, and who have received a share of the riches of the kingdom to invest and grow until the Master returns. This is not merely money, but eternal life, kingdom power, and access to the very throne of God. But they don’t use those things to grow God’s kingdom. Often they use the excuse that they are afraid that they might mess things up, because they aren’t mature enough, they don’t know enough, they aren’t well-trained enough. They comfort themselves with the thought that they are saved, and figure that they will just keep that treasure of salvation under cover where it can’t be messed with. But Jesus expects all of His people to use what we have to grow His kingdom in His absence, and there will be an accounting when He returns.
Father, so few of us think of ourselves in this way. So few realize how great is the wealth of Your kingdom that we have been invested with. So few understand that we are expected by Jesus to use those gifts and graces to grow His kingdom, and that we will be judged not on the basis of what we believe, but, like these servants, on the basis of what we have done (Matthew 25 34-36, 41-43; John 5:28-29;Revelation 20:12-13). Help us, Lord, to follow You in this as well, so that when Jesus returns, we will not have to be ashamed in His presence. Amen.